The Buffalo Bills and former New Orleans Saints receiver Deonte Harty agreed on a contract when the free-agent window opened.
While announced as a deal of the two-year, $9.5 million variety, it’s another contract drawn up by general manager Brandon Beane which reveals more once we dig deeper.
According to Spotrac, Harty gets a nice chunk of guarantees up front. Between his signing bonus ($2.75M), base salary ($2M) and workout bonus ($250K) all guaranteed, Buffalo will pay the 26-year-old $5M for the 2023 season. His cap hit sits at $3.745M.
The ensuing years is a different story.
In 2024, Harty’s base salary grows to $2.6M and cap hit goes to $5.365. Then the dead-cap hit drops to $1.375M.
That offers approximately $4M in cap savings, plus other bonuses the team would not have to pay if he was released.
But if the Bills do want to keep him on that second year, they’ll either eat that modest $5.365 cap hit or could have some wiggle room to restructure his contract or sign Harty to an extension to better manager the cap hit.
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